Cindi's Sale Philosophy!!

Released On 29th Oct 2016

""Your first loss is your best loss"" - not exactly the financial advice you want to hear but a statement that has stuck with me thru out the last 40 years of ups and downs running a designer sheepskin & leather manufacturing business.

Next weekend sees the the return of our famous annual one day flash sale - or the ""down and dirty bash"" as we have affectionately come to know it.

""Down and Dirty"" is when the ""first loss is your best loss"" principle really comes into it's own.

Despite sounding a bit risky, there are several reasons why that sentiment is ultimately one of the wisest stances you can take when deciding what to do when faced with excess stock and a need to clear the decks.

My father Owen always had the sentiment that whilst selling stock below cost was not the ideal situation it does actually prove to be a very shrewd move in the long run.

Okay, most items sold next weekend will be priced well below cost, and this will mean that whilst the company may take a bit of a battering (in the short term) many other people will win big time. Loads of folk, friends and family, customers old and new will walk away from our sale with big smiles and positive vibes about the Company.

Here are some of the reasons why we all love the down and dirty bash.

It's a chance to clear the decks - in any given year we make a hellva lot of samples, prototypes and trial products - once a design has been perfected all of the development bits are not commercial in the main stream marketplace so out they go.

Mistakes - to err is human (Alexander Pope) we at OB are obviously just more human than most (joke team) but we do make mistakes and with our very high quality controls these mistakes can't go into the big wide world - some people might have never seen them - but we know they are there - Mel & her QC team wouldn't allow it nor would they sleep nights (no I'm not joking now).

Skin variances - with every natural product it is impossible to prevent inconsistencies, and of course we don't want the leather to look like plastic off a roll, so sometimes a rogue skin can slip thru and issues not be intercepted until too late - another one bites the dust.

Fashion trends - whilst we want an Owen Barry product to last a lifetime we don't want it hanging about on the shelves for a lifetime - with some colours and styles changing bi-annually we have to move it on.

It's all over quickly - one day a year, priced to clear, the thought and cost of being a DFS - always in perpetual sale would be enough to make me weep.

The need for cash flow - we all have to pay the bills and sitting looking at avalanches of beautiful samples, protos and one off pieces isn't a luxury that we can afford.

Helping Santa - we take this responsibility very seriously - many stunning Christmas and special gifts are acquired during the D&D - ho ho ho.

Lastly, and you can believe this or not - we absolutely love happy customers, as a business owner there is no better or more reassuring feeling in the world than a happy smiling customer, positive referrals equal the worlds best adverts.

So actually ""The First Loss"" isn't technically a Loss - it's a gain - another happy OB customer is the best gain we could ever want.